


Tuscan Romance

by Lunasirnape257



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Hannibal has a past, M/M, There is a little bit of violence, Will is a volunteer and Hannibal is his host, alternative universe, they fall in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-29 17:25:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8498782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunasirnape257/pseuds/Lunasirnape257
Summary: Hannibal Lecter is a doctor who looks for a handyman. Will Graham is a handyman who looks for a job. When they both met in the doctor's villa, friendship love and secrets are going to explode under the Tuscan sun.





	1. Villa Sorella

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Romance Toscano](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8498848) by [Lunasirnape257](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunasirnape257/pseuds/Lunasirnape257)



> The characters that appear in this story - except those who have never appeared on the tv show or in the novels/films relating to the character of Hannibal Lecter and, therefore, are entirely my invention and property to the development of the plot – don't belong to me. Its creation and rights are owned by Thomas Harris, Bryan Fuller, the NBC Channel and the DeLaurentis company.

Tuscany.

 

He had watched those landscapes in countless postcards, movie scenes and travel agencies' windows. This was the first time he saw them in person: the endless fields bathed in sunlight, the rolling hills, the villages and cities that still retained its medieval charm... a beautiful scenery painted in earth tones, green, blue and gold.

 

A private road led the traveller after nearly a kilometer to his destination: Villa Sorella. He could see in the distance the wall surrounding the house, a stucco sentry in the middle of the countryside. Only green fields of wheat were around, only a row of cypress trees rose on both sides of the road. A breeze that brought the distant scent of wild flowers wafted through the open windows of the caravan as they advanced along the way.

 

Finally, after a journey of about an hour from Florence, the wrought iron gates rose before them. The gates showed the effigy of a boar right in the center, above the great bolt, and embedded in the wall to the right was a doorphone.

 

The young man stopped the caravan at the entrance and got out of it to press the intercom button.

 

 _'Pronto.'_ he heard his host's voice speaking in Italian, with that accent from Eastern Europe he had get used to yet.

 

 _'Buongiorno, Dottore.'_ he smiled _._

 

'Will.' the voice was warm on the other side. 'Your Italian gets better and better.' the doctor praised him in English.

 

'Thank you. Could you...?' he did not give him time to finish his question and the doors were opened automatically. 'Thanks.'

 

'My pleasure. Welcome to my home. I'll be waiting for you at the front door.'

 

Will went back to the caravan, where Winston awaited him in a heap: the dog had decided to take a nap in the passenger seat. Later he would have to pass the brush through the seat to remove the animal hair. But he didn't care, he just turned on the vehicle and they finally entered the villa's grounds.

 

The grass was green and neatly trimmed on both sides of the path leading to the house. There were more cypress left and right, giving shade along the wall. The villa was waiting for them at the bottom, rising stoic with its three floors in light-colored stone facade and its Renaissance architecture in front of the entrance rotunda. The quality of the house's structure was enviable, considering it had almost five centuries old. No doubt it had been painstakingly built and maintained by its owners... apart from the fact that it had been uninhabited for the past five years only.

 

Will parked the caravan on the lawn next to the east wall, as his host and he had agreed. He got out and walked toward the house, at the same time the main doors opened and the doctor appeared.

 

He had met Hannibal Lecter two weeks earlier in a web of voluntary work: he was a retired doctor who was looking for someone to help him with the reform of the villa he had recently bought in Tuscany and Will was a handyman, so...

 

They got along quite well: Lecter was an intelligent and educated man, with a very personal sense of humour and a calm voice that inspired him confidence. After a week exchanging e-mails and chatting on Skype - without using the webcam. He had not cared at all the doctor wouldn't want to show his face on screen, he also preferred to preserve his privacy to strangers - they had decided he'll spend the spring in the village... and if all went well, also the summer. There was work to do and his host preferred him to stay as much as he could.

 

Will had before him in those moments a tall, slender man. The elegance and refinement he had noticed in his person during their talks also moved to the doctor's physical: his appearance, his manners and his clothes betrayed a gentleman. His skin was tanned by the Tuscan sun and his hair was a strange mixture of brown, gray and blond tones... as if it couldn't decide on a single colour.

 

'Nice to meet you.' Will greeted him, holding out his hand.

 

'The pleasure's mine.' he shook his hand with a smile and a friendly twinkle in his brown eyes. Past the formalities, the doctor turned and motioned to they could pass into the house.

 

He led him to the back yard, where they could sit and drink together one cooling drink: it was hot and both agreed the work could wait. In their way, Hannibal showed him part of the property, as well as some of the areas where they both went to work on the ground floor: the gardens and orchard were exclusive competence of his host, while he had to prepare the pool for the summer, make some repairs to roofs and floors and help Hannibal with cleaning and painting some rooms.

 

'I myself have taken charge of the majority of them.' said the doctor, as he poured two separate glasses of lemonade and took a seat beside him on the bench. 'But it is not easy to deal with everything at once: I was lucky that there were no problems with electric or plumbing. Still, there is much work to be done.'

 

'I'm going to begin with the pool.' Will nodded. 'Repairs are more urgent than painting and cleaning, so we can leave it for last. In summer it might be a good time to clean up. And if by then you're finished with the garden, we could finish work before if we do it together.'

 

'Of course. I'd love to have your help, Will.'

 

'And I'd love to have yours, doctor.'

 

Hannibal smiled and poured another glass of lemonade for him. While the yellow liquid poured into the glass, both looked at each other and exchanged a smile.

 

 

 

Dr. Lecter was preparing Caprese salad for dinner.

 

Alone in the large kitchen, he cuts the mozzarella into slices while thinking about Will Graham: the young man had settle in his front yard and after resting a couple of hours, he had quickly taken his tools to start working. Their agreement speculated the boy wouldn't work less than three nor more than five hours a day, five days a week, holidays and weekends free. By now the young man had finished his day and had retired to his caravan... and he had decided to make him a salad because he wanted to be polite and reward his hard work.

 

He had liked Will from the start: he was an honest and intelligent boy. He has a sense of humour, a bit sassy sometimes. He was also slightly introverted but that was not a problem. Perhaps his worst fault was his occasional rudeness but it could not really be described as a defect because it was not a natural rudeness, but a self-defense mechanism.

 

Something told him they would get along well. It was an intuition and his intuitions normally used to not fail. Will had managed to capture his attention and sympathy from the outset.

 

He finished cutting the mozarella and mounted it on the plate with tomato and basil, then spice it all with oregano, olive oil and a pinch of salt. He watched the result to check that everything was perfect and after placing the plate on a tray, accompanied it with a bottle of chilled Chardonnay, he went towards the front garden to visit his tenant.

 

Inside the caravan it could be heared the muffled sound of a TV program in Italian. The lights were on, so Hannibal knocked on the door and waited for them to open.

 

Will appeared moments later, looking agitated. His big blue eyes looked surprised at him for a moment and then looked at the tray. The young man sighed and the expression that appeared on his face could only be described as relief.

 

'Thank God.' he said, inviting him to enter with a gesture.

 

'What's going on?' Hannibal stepped into the trailer and in doing so, he saw the mess in the kitchen: a submerged pot in the sink expelling the unmistakable smell of burned food and there was Tomato sauce everywhere. 'What's happened to your kitchen?'

 

'I tried to cook pasta.' explained the boy, ashamed. 'Cooking is not my forte. Normally I can eat anything that can be heated in a microwave but mine crashed a few days ago and I haven't had time to fix it, so...'

 

'Why Winston has its paws stained with Tomato sauce?' asked the doctor, looking suspiciously at the dog which was lying on its bed in a corner.

 

Will grimaced and the gesture gave his beautiful face certain boyish.

 

'He has tried to help.' the young man said.

 

Hannibal snorted in disbelief. He put the salad on the table nearby.

 

'Sit down and eat, please.' he ordered the boy, while he rolled up his sleeves. 'I'll take charge of the disaster. Do you have something in the pantry?' he asked. 'I could cook something you could eat for a couple of days, while you fix the microwave.'

 

'It's not necessary.' Will stopped him. 'I can clean it up later. It would be better we sat and share the salad. It looks great, thank you very much for bringing it.'

 

'Don't mention it.' Hannibal sighed and sat opposite the young man, while this sat to taste the salad. 'You should try to eat more homemade meals and not too precooked, Will. These processed foods are poison.' he pursed his lips in disgust. 'If cooking is your problem, I can cook for you while you are here.'

 

'No way.' he shook his head. 'You're not my maid and I'm not yours, remember?'

 

'Then I'll teach you to cook.' the doctor said after a moment.

 

'Doctor Lecter...'

 

'We will reduce your work hours.' he proposed. 'Not more than four hours per day and you could use the fifth hour in learning to cook simple dishes: pasta, salads, omelettes...'

 

'The truth is I could really use that.' Will admitted, wincing.

 

'So it's decided.' Hannibal smiled. He took the Chardonnay triumphantly. 'Do you have any glasses?'

 

Will could not help smiling. In the midst of that disaster, the doctor had appeared as a savior and now he was selflessly offering his help to solve his problem. He didn't have to do it but he did it to help him. He was not used to receiving consideration from others. His host's gesture moved him.

 

'Thank you, Dr. Lecter.'

 

'You're very welcome, Will.'

 

 


	2. The Sea and The Earth

Will had been in Villa Sorella for almost four weeks. By that time he had finished cleaning the pool and had started with the repairs upstairs. If all was well, he calculated Hannibal and he could start cleaning and painting before the summer: the doctor had already cleared half of the garden and he had organized a small kitchen garden in the back with the aim of growing fruits and vegetables - the villa already came with an orchard and some vineyards - to use them in his meals.

 

And speaking of meals! Will could not have been more satisfied with the new culinary skills he had acquired in those weeks: if before he had not been able to cook pasta without causing a disaster, he was now able to prepare six different kinds of salads, several kinds of snacks, omelettes (his specialty) and next week Hannibal had promised to teach him to make lasagna... if he could learn the elaboration of cannelloni first, of course.

 

Hannibal - soon they had left the formalities behind and now they were on familiar terms. Their relationship had advanced far enough to do it - was a strict teacher but at the same time he was very patient with his mistakes. He had a natural gift for teaching, almost as much as for cooking or harpsichord... which Will had discovered his host plays by chance, one afternoon when they could not work outside because of the rain and had to stay inside: they spent two hours chatting in an empty room except for the instrument, with a bottle and two glasses of Chianti between them, while Hannibal played music from time to time and Will watched him without losing detail, sitting on the floor.

 

The truth is that it could be said they were already friends. Their personalities had fit almost without realizing, having it been a natural process. They were both alone in the villa and though Will had never been a sociable person, Hannibal was, so he had ended up looking for his tenant's company when neither of them was occupied. Eventually they had set up the ritual of dining together every day after cooking classes and Will could not deny he liked the company: Dr. Lecter made him feel calm, he barely made questions about his life and it wasn't because he did not want to know about it - he had already discovered that curiosity was one of the doctor's weaknesses - but because he did not want to be impertinent. In addition, he had traveled far enough around the world to have many interesting subjects to talk about. They both felt comfortable with each other and that was the important thing.

 

The young man finished flouring the fish fillets and put them in the pan, where he had previously fried some garlic and onion. He lowered the fire and stood by the stove, watching for the fillets to be cooked correctly on both sides before adding the vegetables.

 

He was cooking livornese cod, a thank-you gift for his mentor. He hoped it was to his liking: Hannibal had a very fine palate and he did not want to disappoint him with a dish that was not meet the expectations. He had made a lot of effort to teach him to cook and he was going to contribute to the dinner that night with one of the best wines in his cellar.

 

No doubt the occasion deserved he does his best. He did not want to disappoint him.

 

 

 

Hannibal was nervous. Not really nervous, just... excited.

 

Will has a little surprise for him. He had told him about it in the afternoon, when he had joined him to start his cooking classes. He had, in fact, suspended them and asked him to leave, so that he could make dinner in private for both: it was to be a special dish, so he had come down to the cellar looking for a special wine.

 

He was sure that the dinner would involve the cod the young man had brought with him from his last visit to Livorno. Not in vain his tenant adored the fish and he had heard he was a respectable fisherman. He was going to pretend to be surprised if he was right about the dinner because he did not want to spoil the surprise.

 

It was silly that Will felt indebted to him for his teachings. He had done nothing to deserve a tribute: the boy did everything on his own. He was not a great cook, that's true, but he paid attention and he was doing his best to learn. He was a good student and he was very happy with him.

 

It was obvious they both enjoyed each other's company. What had begun with cordial conversations and cooking classes, had ended up in friendship. He was comfortable with Will and was especially pleased since the young man had told him he had decided to extend his stay during the summer. This was great news because the boy's first month in the village had made him think of his departure and the idea saddened him.

 

He had grown accustomed to his presence: get up in the morning and find him working inside the house; Go out the front door and see his caravan parked on the lawn; their cooking classes and their conversations during dinner; sit in the doorway on Sunday mornings and watch him as he bathed Winston, his arms covered with foam to the elbows, barefoot and without a T-shirt. His skin had begun to tan under the sun and his hair had become slightly lighter, though his curls were still chocolate. In those moments he looked like a small faun...

 

He wanted to paint him. He had proposed but Will had refused. He had a lot of work and he was not attracted to the idea of sitting for hours, while another person was watching him and recording his image on paper. What a shame! But maybe in the future...

 

He found the wine he was looking for. It was right there, within his reach. He took the bottle from the shelves with a triumphant smile. He glanced at his watch and knew by the time that dinner would be ready at that moment.

 

He'd better go upstairs and meet Will.

 

'Just in time.' the young man received him, when he appeared in the dining room. He was standing by the table and moved away a little to show him dinner. 'Voila!'

 

'Livornese Codfish!' he exclaimed, pretending to be surprised as he approached the table. The boy rewarded him with a beautiful smile. 'It's a wonderful surprise, Will.'

 

'I hope you like it.'

 

'Of course I like it.'

 

'What wine did you bring?' he asked after a moment.

 

'A Moscato.' Hannibal announced, while he uncorking expertly the bottle to serve the glasses. 'Wait to prove it.'

 

He handed his drink to Will and they both drank. The young man closed his eyes as he tasted the wine and Hannibal smiled, knowing he had succeeded in his choice.

 

'It's fantastic.' he looked at him and licked his lips discreetly. There was no doubt he liked it.

 

'The sea and the earth.' Hannibal said, gesturing to the table. 'They seems to blend perfectly, do not you think?'

 

'Definitely.'

 

'It is not surprising that some civilizations attribute the creation of the world to the fusion of both.'

 

'Well, I don't think a new world will emerge from this table but...'

 

'The mere combination is already worth it. We should taste it before it cools down.'

 

'Of course.'

 

They sat down and made one last toast before beginning to eat:

 

'To the sea and the earth.' Hannibal said, raising his glass to join the young man's.

 

'To the sea and the earth.'

 

 


	3. Peter

He met Peter on a Monday morning, returning to the villa after his last weekend trip. The young man was walking by the edge of the path that led to the house, sheltering from the light spring rain with a red raincoat and carrying a small basket full of what looked like fresh eggs.

 

Will accelerated until he was at his height and then slowed down the caravan so as not to lose him.

 

'Hello.' he greeted him in Italian. The young man turned at the sound of his voice and watched him with his large black eyes. He would be only a few years younger than him. He was wearing overalls and a t-shirt. 'Are you going to Villa Sorella?'

 

'Yes.' he stopped suddenly and Will had to stop his vehicle so that he would not pass him by.

 

'I can give you a lift, if you want.' he offered.

 

'Thank you.' he opened the passenger door and climbed up, as if he had known him for life.

 

'My name is Will.' he introduced himself, holding out a hand the other man shook without hesitation.

 

'Peter.' he said with a smile. 'I know you. You're the man who fixes Dr. Lecter's pool.'

 

Will smiled at the innocence of his tone.

 

'I already finished the pool, actually. But yes, I'm helping the doctor with some renovations in the village.' he admitted, as they set off again.

 

'The doctor is a good person.' Peter said, nodding.

 

'Yes, he is.'

 

'He buys our eggs.' he showed him the basket. 'And our butter. Twice a month.'

 

'He loves your butter.' Will said with a smile. 'Bernardone's farm, Hannibal has told me about you: he says you have the best dairy in the region.'

 

'That's true.'

 

The young man began to talk to him about his family farm, the animals and the work he did there: how he fed and cared for the hens, the pigs and the cows and how he distributed fresh goods every day between neighbouring properties who bought them. Will, meanwhile, drived and listened. Peter was even more incredible than Hannibal had told him: the doctor had told him about his neighbours on different occasions and it had already become clear that he was fond of the young man because, in his own words, he was a special creature... not because of his intellectual disability - caused by a horse kickin in his childhood, which had caused him a damage in his brain - but because of his own personality. Peter was a hard-working honest man, a compassionate one and an animal lover... and smarter than anyone, including his own family, could think.

 

Will had come to appreciate him through Hannibal's words and now all that appreciation was renewed upon meeting him in person. Certainly, he was a special human being.

 

They reached the villa and Will parked his caravan in the usual place. When they arrived they saw Dr. Lecter sitting at the entrance and he approached them immediately to receive them.

 

'Will.' the doctor smiled at him, welcoming. 'I'm glad to see you. How was the trip?'

 

'Fantastic. I have brought a friend.' he said. At that moment Peter appeared turning the caravan around and approached the doctor to speak him in Italian:

 

 _'_ Good morning, doctor.'

 

'Peter, how are you?'

 

'Fine. And you?'

 

'Very good, thank you.'

 

'I brought your eggs.' he held out the basket as who raises a shield.

 

 _'_ In time, as always.' Hannibal picked it with a nod. He looked at them both. 'Shall we go inside? I was about to prepare lunch. Peter, would you like one of my sandwiches?'

 

 _'_ Yes, doctor!'

 

Hannibal smiled at his enthusiasm, amused and at the same time flattered. He knew a lot about the boy's liking for his dishes... especially the sandwiches.

 

The three entered the house through the garden, which led directly into the kitchen. Both men took their seats in front of the island that decorated the center of the room, taking a seat on separate stools. Hannibal prepared a giant salad for the three and some delicious ham sandwiches they tasted together.

 

Peter was sitting at one end, focused on his food. Will smiled and turned to speak to Hannibal, who was in front of him on the other side of the island:

 

'He's very nice.' the young man said. 'He really loves animals: he's told me about them all the way.'

 

'I hope it was not too heavy for you. Sometimes Peter can be a little pushy about the subject.'

 

'Not at all. I liked him very much.'

 

'I'm glad.' Hannibal tasted another bite of his sandwich before continuing: 'Will... I wanted to tell you something.'

 

'So tell me.'

 

'Next weekend is the spring festival in San Damiano. Would you like to go? It could be fun and it's not far from here.'

 

'I know, I know the town: it was one of the first ones I visited when I got here. In fact, I was planning to attend the festival.'

 

'Really? So, can we go together?'

 

'Why not? But we will have to bring food: it is an outdoor celebration.'

 

'Don't worry, we'll take charge of that.' Hannibal smiled, satisfied. 'Do you fancy a beer?'

 

'Yes thanks. I did not know you were interested in picnics.' he said after a moment, receiving an open bottle of home-made beer from the doctor. 'I thought you preferred the art galleries and theaters in Florence.'

 

'Indeed, I prefer them. But I occasionally like to spend a day in the country too.'

 

Will smiled wryly.

 

'Hannibal Lecter: doctor, chef, artist... and occasional cicada.'

 

'Cicada?' the doctor looked at him with a grimace that was half surprise, half offense and half something else, something like fun. 'I'm not a cicada. My interest in the country is only punctual. I'm afraid I do not like it as much as you, my little faun.'

 

'Oh, now I'm a faun?'

 

'I would say yes, judging by your love for nature.'

 

'We'll see who's the more faun of us, doctor.' he said, taking another sip of his beer.

 

Hannibal watched him as he drank. His eyes caught in the young man's throat and suddenly he felt thirsty.

 


	4. The Spring Festival

San Damiano was a small town founded at the end of the Middle Ages. Its appearance was renaissance, made of brick and stone, stucco and ceramic tiles. The community that inhabited it was prosperous and rural and its number did not exceed three thousand souls.

 

The Spring Festival was an annual tradition that the villagers organized with care and they were always looking forward to because it was a source of fun and profit for them. The festival was celebrated during the first weekend of May, by a lake that took its name from the town itself. There, in a broad clearing of the forest, the market was set up in the morning and visitors came from the village and its surroundings - along with the tourists - to buy handicrafts of all kinds, from candles and wood carvings to fresh fruit and vegetables. In the afternoon the games for children and adults were held and at night there were all kinds of performances on an improvised stage. There was also a space reserved for those who wanted to have lunch or dinner by the lake and they could do so by bringing their own food or by purchasing it at the village shops or at one of the market stalls in the morning... the latter was what Hannibal and Will did.

 

The doctor was a declared gourmet, always eager to consume fresh products. In the morning, Will and he made a respectable supply of honeys and jams for their pantry. They also bought some fruit and vegetables and after passing through the stalls that offered the delicious Tuscan bread - made without sugar, with a light and crunchy mass - wine, cheeses and cured meats, they quickly searched for a place by the lake for lunch.

 

They spent an excellent Saturday, enjoying food and games - the popular dance contest was very interesting. Will was not expecting the pig race - and after leaving the lake at dusk, they had dinner at a restaurant in the village before returning to the villa.

 

The doctor parked his car in front of Will's caravan. The young man carried a bag in his lap with all the products he had bought on the market, most of them on the recommendation of Hannibal. From all of them he took out the bottle of herbal liquor his host had encouraged him to buy as a local delicacy.

 

The boy looked up from the label to look at the doctor.

 

'Do you want to come in and drink the last cup with me?' he asked, showing him the bottle.

 

'It will be a pleasure.' agreed Hannibal and they got out of the car.

 

As they passed by, Winston came up to greet them: his master had let him loose around the villa and he had taken charge that the dog had enough food and water before they leaving in the morning. The dog curled up between Will's legs and did not let them pass until he got his toll of caresses.

 

'He's a blackmailer.' the young man joked, as they entered the caravan.

 

Hannibal just smiled. He was not very interested in dogs or animals in general but he appreciated the affection his tenant felt towards his pet. The way he smiled and his eyes lit up when he saw or talked about the dog was certainly charming. Anything that meant happiness or well-being to the boy would always be to his liking... until that point he had come to appreciate him.

 

Will put the food in a safe place and poured two glasses of herbal liquor for both of them. They sat down on the couch and drank together as they talked about the day. It was a cordial and amusing talk that entertained them for almost an hour and at the end there was two empty glasses on the table and the men still were on the couch and none of them deciding to leave:

 

'I love your company, Will. But I think I should stop bothering you and going to bed.'

 

'You do not bother me at all. You can stay, if you wish.'

 

They looked at each other. In the middle of silence, they both realized what that meant:

 

'Are you asking me to spend the night with you?' Hannibal asked, just to confirm it.

 

'Whenever you want it too. I want you to stay but I do not want to ruin things between us...'

 

'You're ruining nothing. We are friends, Will, that first and foremost.'

 

'This is not the usual behaviour between friends.' he smiled. 'And certainly this is not an appropriate relationship between a volunteer and his host.'

 

'No. But you and I are adults. You will leave at the end of the summer and this does not have to change anything between us. If you expect me to fall in love with you or something like that...' he shook his head. 'I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not the romantic type.'

 

'Me neither. Make a bound with another person when you shouldn't is a mistake. Feelings shouldn't be confused.'

 

'We both agree with that. So...' the doctor stretched out a hand to stroke the young man's cheek with his fingers, 'May I stay, Will?'

 

'Stay.' the boy asked, leaning forward to approach him.

 

Hannibal imitated him. Their lips met halfway. It was a slow kiss at the beginning, tender, a recognition gesture... until it became more passionate and voracious. Will let the doctor lay him down on the couch and start taking his clothes off, while he helped him to get rid of his.

 

'I've wanted to see you like this for a long time.' Hannibal confessed, when his partner ended up completely naked. 'You're so beautiful... I've fantasized about this moment.'

 

'Am I in your fantasies, Doctor?' He smiled at him, with a glint of mischief and excitement in his blue eyes. The doctor could not help reciprocating.

 

'All the time.'

 

They kissed again and Hannibal leaned on his partner, receiving as much passion and caresses as he was giving. They explored each other until both were ready to go further. Then Will changed the tables and made Hannibal lie down on the couch to straddle him.

 

The young man raised his hand over his head and reached a small bottle from the shelf and a small object that he pulled out of a box. The bottle was lubricant and the object turned out to be a condom wrapper, which the boy placed deftly sliding it on his partner's erect penis.

 

'Glad to see you're prepared for any contingency.' Hannibal praised him huskily.

 

'You never know.' Will said with a smile.

 

He applied the lubricant generously over Hannibal's cock and in his own interior. The doctor helped him with that and as the boy was ready he descended slowly on his partner, giving time to both to adapt and enjoy the moment.

 

As with the kiss, they started with a slow pace which soon became passionate. Once both knew what the other liked, what he wanted and needed, they wasted no time to give it to each other. They exchanged kisses and caresses while their throats expressed the pleasure they caused each other. They climaxed almost in unison, clinging to each other because by then Hannibal had sat up to reach his partner and he kept their bodies as close as he could.

 

After the explosion of pleasure they stayed together for a while, hugging and sweaty, trembling while trying to catch their breaths.

 

'Tell me we will repeat this often.' sighed the doctor and Will laughed.

 

'As much as we want.' he promised. 'But remember, no romanticism: this is just an affaire.'

 

'I know: just an affair.'

 

Will rewarded him with a kiss, slow and deep. Before they both realised, they were starting again.

 

They filled with their music the silence of that spring night.

 

 


	5. Just an Affaire

The weeks passed and soon came the summer. This brought with it more light to the village and its surroundings, as well as longer days, lots of tourists and many pleasant weekends by the lake or on the coast, where the people came to escape from the high temperatures in the area.

Will and Hannibal went ahead with their routine: in the morning they worked and in the evenings they rested or went out for a walk together, most of the time with Winston. They began to share the weekends, making small trips to nearby cities where they could sightseeing and enjoy their privacy in some discreet hotel room, when they did not do it in the villa or in Will's caravan.

They were a good couple. Everyone knew his place and the limits of their relationship. They enjoyed each other's company and a passionate, extraordinary sex. They fit as well in bed as they did outside and they came to know - and appreciate - each other very well over the course of those weeks.

As the summer progressed their relationship changed, becoming less physical and more intimate. The sex was still great but now they spent more time talking or just sharing space than frolicking between the sheets or anywhere else in the house... the change was so imperceptible and natural that neither of them noticed it.

Sunday morning they made a trip to Florence to spend the day in the city: they walked together through the streets, visited art galleries and did some shopping and about one o'clock they had lunch in a trattoria near to the city center. Then they took a last walk through the city before returning home in the afternoon.

On the way they stopped for an ice cream. They were not aware of the car that set off at the same time as them and followed them a few meters down the street, moments before getting lost in traffic.

At that time they were let them go: it was too dangerous to approach them in broad daylight in public. In addition, the orders were others. The couple should not know they were being watched.

Inside the vehicle were two men of mundane aspect with nothing to emphasize. One of them held a mobile phone in one hand. He had just used the HD camera to take some pictures of the couple.

'Is that he?' the driver asked and the copilot nodded.

'No doubt. We got him.'

The man who sat behind the wheel nodded in turn.

'Ok. Call Frederick.'

 

 


	6. Frederick

Will was coming back home from the supermarket. Hannibal was busy in the garden, so he has lent him his car keys and asked him to go shopping while he finished pruning the fruit trees.

 

The young man turned right to enter the private road leading to the village and had hardly gone a few meters when halfway he discovered a car parked on the side of the road with the hood open and the emergency triangles placed on the asphalt.

 

He stopped the car to reach its height.

 

'Do you need help, sir?' he asked the driver, who was standing beside the car with shocked face.

 

'Yeah, uh... my car...'

 

'Have it broken down?' he asked in English, seeing the driver had obvious problems with the Italian language. He should be a lost tourist.

 

The driver sighed relieved to hear him speak in his mother tongue:

 

'Yes. Thank God. I do not know what happens, it suddenly stopped and... it's not a cause of a lack of petrol: the tank is full. I cannot explain it...'

 

'Don't worry. I know a bit of mechanics. Let's take a look.'

 

'Thank you.' he smiled at him as if he'd just saved his life.

 

Will parked in front of the tourist's car and got out to help. He walked over to the car and the other man was placed beside him, looking worried at the engine. Will revised it all, checking that there was no serious damage and without much effort discovering what the problem was:

 

'It seems that something has come loose here...'

 

He had scarcely laid the cable in place, when the other man pulled a small spray from his pocket and sprayed the contents directly onto his face.

 

It caught him by surprise. The first burst stunned him and the second made him lose consciousness. He fainted, unconscious, and the man grabbed him to place him carefully on the floor. Will could not see how the man closed the hood, bound him hand and foot with plastic handcuffs and dragged him to get him in the trunk of his vehicle.

 

Once he had his goal safely, the man picked up any clues of his presence there and after saving everything and close the trunk, walked to Will's car and leave a white envelope on the passenger seat.

 

Then he got into his car and disappeared.

 

 

 

 

He awoke later... he did not know how much later. He was disoriented and his vision was blurry at first, until he could get used to the dim light in the place. He saw walls and floor made of concrete. The place was empty and had a respectable size: a warehouse or a store, perhaps?

 

He heard a soft cough before him. He turned his head toward the sound and saw a few hundred meters away from him a man dressed in an elegant tailored brown suit. Must have been about ten years older than him, medium height, dark hair and blue eyes. He was attractive but the perversity of his smile made Will put himself immediately on guard.

 

'Good afternoon, Mr. Graham.' greeted the man, in a perfect American English.

 

'Who are you?'

 

'My name is Frederick.'

 

'Where I am?'

 

'Do you want to know a funny thing?' the man asked, ignoring his question. 'One would never come to imagine that the Phantom might have weaknesses but it turns out that he has.' Frederick smiled, looking him up and down. 'I guess I cannot blame him: I bet you have helped him to make his retirement much more pleasant.'

 

'I don't know what the hell you're talking about. If you expect to get money with this...'

 

'I don't need money, Mr. Graham, I already have a lot.'

 

'So, what is it?' he asked, confused and angry. 'What is this place? Who was the man who kidnapped me? Why I am here?'

 

'You are here to be useful.' he explained. 'You're going to be my bait to lure the Phantom. And when he and I have finalized our business, you will be free. We all will go home when it's over.'

 

Will snorted in disbelief.

 

'Look, I don't know anything about that. I don't know who is that Phantom you're speaking about. But if you want to hunt spooks, you should have called Ghostbusters, not me.'

 

Frederick laughed in his face.

 

'You have a sense of humor, Mr. Graham, that's fine.'

 

'Tell me what's going on.' he demanded, beginning to lose his patience. 'Or will I have to find out using a bloody crystal ball?'

 

'That won't be necessary.' Frederick walked closer to him, stopping at a safe distance from him. 'It has been four months that you're living with a man whom everyone considers a retired doctor. I don't know if he's a real doctor or not, the fact is that nobody knows so much about him. But what I know is that Dr. Lecter is one of the best hitmen the world has come to know.'

 

Will looked at him dumbfounded.

 

'A hitman!? Are you crazy? Hannibal doesn't go around killing people.'

 

'Not for the last year. But before retiring and bought this beautiful villa in Tuscany, the good doctor mowed many lives down instead of saving them. After that, he disappeared and it has been very difficult to find him. Even rumour has it that he had died.' he smiled like a contented cat. 'Now we know that's not true, isn't it?'

 

'You are insane. I don't believe anything you're saying.' Will replied crisply. He refused to trust the word of someone who had ordered his kidnapping.

 

'You'll believe.' predicted Frederick, undeterred. 'You will see it with your own eyes: you will be present when the Phantom will come.'

 

'Then we both will know the truth.'

 

'No doubt.' he nodded. 'Meanwhile, make yourself comfortable, Mr. Graham. You're going to spend some time with us.'

 

That said, he left and left Will alone in that place. The young man looked around, trying to get an idea of where he was and if there was any way out, surveillance cameras, or whatever.

 

He was in danger. He had to devise a way to escape.

 

 

 

 

Hannibal stopped the motorcycle to reach the car.

 

The road was empty. It seemed that no one had been there recently, except for the vehicle which had obviously been abandoned.

 

What had originally been a slight curiosity and concern - Will should have come back home an hour ago. He had called him several times but his phone was not responding or outside the coverage area. Finally he had decided to go out and looked for him on his motorbike - it became a state of immediately alert.

 

He parked the bike and went out of it. He inspected the place and recognized a slight drag marks, some meters behind from where his car was parked. He then came back to the car and saw that the windows were down - probably to beat the heat of the day - and the keys were gone.

 

What had happened? ¿Will has had an emergency? But why he had not called him, if so? He had stopped just six hundred meters from the villa. Even if the car had broken down, he could have returned on foot with the shopping bags without problems. And if the case had been another, then...

 

Then he saw it: a white envelope on the passenger seat. His name was written on it with a handwritten he recognized instantly.

 

He lunged for it with concern stuck in his throat and his heart beating scared. He opened the envelope right away and began to read. As he did, his worst suspicions were confirmed: Will had been kidnapped. He had been taken less than a kilometer from the door of their house and was now in the hands of Frederick. Damn Frederick!

 

He had left a card in the envelope for him with an address for a meeting. If he didn't show himself, Frederick would kill Will. If he refused to accept his offer, his young tenant would pay the consequences. And if he devised a stratagem against him...

 

Hannibal shattered the envelope and the letter in a rage. He kept the card and riding again on his motorcycle, he returned to the villa. He could not take the car with him without the keys and although he could remove the parking brake and push it up to the house, it would be an unforgivable waste of time and effort.

 

No. He must keep his appointment with Frederick. But first he had to prepare himself: he would catch what he need from the villa and then go to Will.

 

Frederick would better be prepared. If he had hurt Will in any way...

 

 


	7. The Phantom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you all for devoting your time to read this fic. And thanks for the kudos and bookmarks too. The next fic is on its way. If you read it, I hope you'll enjoy it ;)

He got on his motorcycle to the warehouse, where Frederick had dated him. He parked and walked to the gate, where there were two armed guards. After registering him, they took him with Frederick, crossing the large empty warehouse and upstairs to the office.

 

Frederick was sitting behind the desk, gazing at the screen of what appeared to be some kind of portable television. Seeing his guest arrive, he rose to receive him.

 

'The Phantom comes back from death!' he exclaimed, histrionic as always. 'What a pleasure to see you, my old friend.'

 

'You and I are not friends.' Hannibal said. 'And I will not even bother to ask how you found me...'

 

'I had to ignore all the signs of your supposed death and use my best resources to find you.' he boasted. 'You certainly made it very difficult.'

 

'Yes. Are you going to tell me now where my tenant is?' he asked, ignoring the man.

 

'Easy, he's close. I'll let you see him as soon as you accept my offer.'

 

'First you will have to expose it.'

 

Frederick did not lose his smile, despite the clear hostility of his guest. He took a folder from the table and came over to hand it to Hannibal, who opened it to come face to face with the photo of a woman: red-haired and slender, dressed in with the elegance of a Cartier model.

 

'My wife has planned to spend the afternoon in the city: we are here on vacation and she has thought of visit the forum and the public baths. Before returning home, she is going to have dinner at Mamma's, our favorite restaurant.'

 

'Do you want me to join her?' Hannibal asked, closing the folder to leave it indifferent on the desk. Now it was clear what Frederick had in mind. 'It's a risky plan, considering that his grandfather's business extends to East Baltimore. Are you sure you want to start a war?'

 

'The war will not be against me. I will only participate in it because it is my duty to support my family.'

 

'And you'll benefit from the bloodbath in the process. Mr. Lounds will be very grateful for your help: I bet you might even be named his successor.'

 

'That would be a great honor. And if so, who am I to reject the generosity of an old man?'

 

Hannibal barely winced. He knew Frederick Chilton well enough not to be surprised by his plans. He was not interested in them, anyway. He was there for another reason:

 

'Where's Will?' he asked, getting serious.

 

'You still have not told me if you accept my offer.'

 

'I think we both know what will happen, if I reject it. So stop trying my patience and show me what I want to see.'

 

Chilton gave a slight snort, rolling his eyes as he pressed a button hidden under the desk.

 

Everyone could look then through the window that communicated the office with a small storage, to the right of the room. It was a double glazed window, so that only those who were in the office could see what was happening on the other side... otherwise, Will would not have risked being caught shredding the chair to which they had been tied him to in order to escape.

 

Frederick watched with wide eyes how with a few sharp blows the chair would shatter and the boy would be freed, releasing himself from his bonds, which had loosened with the destruction.

 

'What the hell...!?'

 

Hannibal smiled proudly.

 

'That old chair is a mess, Frederick.' he turned to look at him, unable to hide the pride in his eyes and voice. 'Will is a very skillful young man... and you've just screwed up.'

 

He took advantage of being close enough to grab him by the neck. Before his men had finished drawing their guns, Hannibal had already placed himself behind the man and used him as a shield. He quickly pulled out a taser pistol - which looked like a false lighter - and unloaded it against both guards to stun them... he had modified the weapon especially, so that it could be used with two people at a time instead of just one.

 

As the thugs fell unconscious to the floor, the doctor's arm circled the mob's neck and strangled him to the point of unconsciousness. He then set in motion the next phase of his plan:

 

He had not gone there without a stratagem. He did not think at any time to meet anyone who was Frederick's commission and instead he was going to rescue Will and make that bastard pay for his daring.

 

He took Frederick's tie off and tied him hand and foot: an uncomfortable position, all his limbs behind him, curled up like a ball. He then went to the desk, where he confirmed his suspicions with the device on the table, the same that the mob was watching when he arrived: it was a small surveillance center, with it anyone could see and control everything the cameras installed in the warehouse saw and controlled.

 

He looked at his wristwatch, counting the seconds and watching the activity of the cameras, until suddenly there was an explosion at the side of the warehouse that caused a small fire and the guards rushed to see what happened. Hannibal smiled, knowing that his distraction ploy had worked, and pressed one of the buttons to stop the cameras from recording and broadcasting.

 

When the monitor went out, he left the room and went for Will.

 

The young man had been locked up in the store next door. Hannibal broke the door down and found him stunned on the other side, one of the legs of the chair high in his hand, ready to attack.

 

'Calm down.' he stopped him. 'It's me.'

 

'Hannibal.' Will lowered his weapon by inertia but raised it again as soon as the doctor made a move toward him. 'Do not come closer! I've heard it all! Frederick was right: you're a killer!'

 

'I'm not here to kill you, Will. I would never harm you.' he said. He held out his hand. 'We have literally two minutes to get out of here. Come with me, if you want to live.'

 

'You go first.' Will said suspiciously. 'Show me the way out and do not you think to do anything against me or I'll tear your head off, do you understand?'

 

'I understand.' Hannibal nodded, his lips tightening as he lowered his hand. 'I'll explain you all when we get home... now follow me, please.'

 

He turned around and left the storeroom, followed by an angry and alert Will.

 

 

 

 

The return to the villa was tense and silent. Neither of them said a word and upon arriving, Will almost jumped out of the motorcycle to run to lock himself in his caravan... Hannibal had no choice but leave and go home to wait for him.

 

It took him hours to appear. The doctor was in the living room, drinking a glass of wine while he thought taciturnly in everything that had happened, when the young man finally stood in front of him. From the look on his face it was obvious he was still struggling with himself to be there.

 

'I'm very confused.' were his first words and Hannibal felt his stomach close even more.

 

'I understand.' he nodded and looked at him sympathetically. 'You have reasons to be.'

 

'Are you going to kill me?'

 

'No.'

 

'If you wanted to silence me, you would have done yet, wouldn't you?'

 

'That's true.'

 

'What would you do, if I got my things and left right now?' he asked, pointing the exit with a nod. 'What if I get in the caravan, leave and never come back?'

 

'That would break my heart.' he confessed, sincere. 'But I would not stop you because I cannot make you stay with me, if you don't want to. Especially not after discovering the truth: anyone would run away from a murderer.'

 

'I should report you.' Will said, clenching his fists at his sides in indignation. It was obvious he felt betrayed. 'I could run to the police right now, you know that, right? That's what I should do.'

 

'If that's your wish, do it.'

 

Hannibal ducked his head, accepting that his fate was in the boy's hands. Will stared at him for a long moment, not moving from his place.

 

'Are you really a hitman?' he asked.

 

'I was until a year ago.' Hannibal lifted his head to look at him. 'Until I decided to quit my job: I no longer wanted to do it.'

 

'What else have you lied to me about?'

 

'Nothing. Everything I've told you has been true. I have not had the desire or the need to lie to you, Will.'

 

'You were going to kill that woman.' he reproached him. 'Frederick's wife.'

 

'No.' he shook his head. 'I sent his wife a recording of the conversation you heard me keep with him. At this point, I imagine Mrs. Chilton will be discussing the issue with her husband.'

 

Will winced.

 

'I do not feel sorry for him. He was a delinquent and an hideous subject. He sent one of his thugs to kidnap me.'

 

'You have every right to despise him and you should not feel sorry for Frederick Chilton: he's much worse than you think.'

 

'That's clear to me.'

 

There was silence again between them. Hannibal rose from the couch after a moment, leaving his empty glass aside to approach the young man. He stuck his brown eyes into the boy's blues.

 

'What are you going to do? Do you want to leave or do you want to stay?'

 

'I don't know. I'm supposed to run away but...'

 

'You should't be afraid of me.'

 

'I'm not afraid. That's the worst of it.' he said. 'I know you will not hurt me, simply because you have had multiple opportunities since I came here and you haven't do it. If you were a heartless killer, I'd be dead by this time. You would not have bothered to appear in the store and you certainly would not have saved my life.'

 

'I saved you because I love you. I would never let anything bad happen to you.'

 

'I know.'

 

'It's your decision, Will. Only you can decide if you leave or stay, whether you report me or not. I put myself in your hands.'

 

The young man knew he was being honest. There was no lie in him. He also knew Hannibal was a murderer, a deadly and dangerous man with a past that had already had negative consequences for both of them.

 

He should get the carabinieri. He should get away from that man as soon as possible, abandon him, report him to justice.

 

And even so...

 

'I love you, Hannibal.' he confessed, because it was the truth. The doctor's eyes lit up.

 

'I love you too.'

 

They were close enough to each other, so Hannibal leaned down to kiss him, pausing only inches from his lips for Will to give his permission. He gave it to him, rising slightly on tiptoe to propitiate the kiss and holding him with one hand by the nape of the neck to draw him toward him.

 

They hugged each other. They put everything else aside, focusing only on that moment. They both needed that: the comfort and assurance that, despite everything, they found in each other. None of them knew what they was going to do or what would happen from now on but they were clear that things would be better if they stood side by side.

 

Whatever happened in the future, they would face it together.

 

**THE END**

 

 

 

 

 


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